


Synesthesia

by ladybugschatonnoir (MiraculouslyUnlucky), MiraculouslyUnlucky



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Next Generation, Next-Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2018-07-16 03:44:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7250635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiraculouslyUnlucky/pseuds/ladybugschatonnoir, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiraculouslyUnlucky/pseuds/MiraculouslyUnlucky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ladybug and Chat Noir are watching a festival in their honor a week after Paris was released from the plague of Akumas for good. In that week, Ladybug had a lot to think about- one of this being her relationship, moving forward, with Chat Noir.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Moving Forward

**Author's Note:**

> This is the very beginning of Synesthesia, a Next Generation fic. This is probably the biggest role Chat and Ladybug (as Adrien and Marinette) have, unless I decide to edit it or add little fillers of them being the dynamic duo with two little monsters to watch out for (probably gonna happen cause it would be a nice break haha). The next chapter I upload will jump right into the main plot line, I promise. I just really needed to post something for this fic! Anyway, hope you enjoy!

“Chat?”

“Yes, My Lady?”

Ladybug sat next to her long time partner and looked down at the festival lights below. They were in one of their favorite spots; perched on the ledge of the Eiffel tower.

“I was thinking, earlier today, when we were walking around the festival …” She trailed off, clenching her fists on her knees. Perhaps it wasn’t the best time to mention it.

Chat noticed her hesitation and leaned to his side, gently bumping into her. When she looked up she saw a small smile playing across his lips. It was the smile that let her know that he was listening.

With a deep breath, she straightened and began to talk. “Well, I was thinking that we are adults now-” Chat nodded his head in agreement. “- There is no more threat to Paris now that we have faced Hawk moth -” Chat continued nodding, slowly twirling his tail as she talked. “- and we are married now; living together as civilians-” Chat’s smile widened into a sort of smirk but remained silent. “- and, well … I want to start a _family_ with you.”

It was as if her last few words were a paralytic. Chat froze mid tail twirl, a smile still on his face but his eyes widened as they reflected the festival lights below.

Ladybug had taken no notice to this as she gazed down at the lights, a faint blush tickling her cheeks. “Don’t get me wrong, I love being ladybug. I love all the adventures we’ve had as a ‘dynamic duo’; protecting all of Paris. I love the time we get alone when we patrol. It seems as if our lives are getting busier and busier. And I don’t want to miss out on anything with you. There really isn’t anything for us to do now …” Ladybug scrunched her nose at his silence. It was very uncharacteristic of him. “Chat? Are you listening?”

He had managed to hide his face as she was gazing downward, because yes- he had been listening to everything she had said. Ladybug put a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to turn him to face her.

“Chat, I’m-”

“Serious? Are you serious, my lady?” He turned his head to look at her and her eyes widened slightly as she saw the tears forming in his eyes. “You really want that? With … with me?”

Her face softened with a small smile. “Oh, Chat … I think you would make an excellent father.” Her smile almost faltered as she spoke her last sentence. “But we would have to give this up … at some point soon.”

Chat closed his eyes and let his tears roll down his mask. His smile had returned and he opened his eyes ever so slightly; the emerald green burning with joy. “I would gladly give up the suit to have a family. A family with you,” he looked down at her and took her hand from his shoulder, gently caressing it in his own, “My sweet, sweet bug-a-boo.”

Ladybug giggled and leaned forward. “Now _that’s_ my chaton.”

* * *

“Emma and Louis Dupain-Cheng Agreste.” The names rolled effortlessly off his tongue as he cradled the newborns close to his chest. It seemed as though everything had happened so fast, yet still immensely slow. Marinette had called Adrien in a panic earlier the previous day; her water had broken in the middle of a meeting for the next season’s line up. Her father-in-law had her rushed to the hospital immediately and Adrien had met her there. She had been in immense pain all that day, night, and half of this day before she could finally give birth.

Adrien had been a wreck the entire time. He wanted the time to fly by so fast so his wife could be out of anguish, yet the anticipation for his children made the time drag by. But now that they were there; after the madness that ensued, he wanted to steal every second back.

He gazed down at his children, both swaddled tightly with knitted caps over their small heads. Tufts of midnight hair stuck out from under the brims and his heart skipped a beat whenever one of them would peek at the world, closing their eyes shortly after to conceal their emerald eyes.

His eyes brimmed with tears as they did the night ladybug had expressed her desire to start this.

“Adrien?”  A quiet voice floated across the room and he blinked, looking up to see that his wife was awake. She smiled at him, her eyes heavy with exhaustion. He couldn’t help but smile, his big childish grin. He was elated and allowed his admiration to escape him through quiet tears. She smiled at him and slowly sat up, leaning against the pillows.

“Let me see our beautiful children.”

 


	2. Family Relations

Gabriel Agreste stood with a signature look of displeasure plastered onto his face. He didn't know why he had ever thought this would have been a good idea in the first place. Standing in front of him were his eldest grandchildren, one wearing a freshly tailored dress of his design, and the other wearing a suit of his mother's design. They were, as usual, bickering with each other.

"Louis, stop touching me! Leave it _alone_! The dress is fine!" Emma snapped, folding her arms across her chest. Her freckled nose scrunched with displeasure as her brother glared at her.

"I'm just straightening out the belt," he defended, "that tailor had no idea what they were doing!"

"And you do?" Emma scoffed, "As if Grandfather would hire an idiot-"

"Children, _enough_ ," Gabriel sighed with a hint of frustration, "how old are you both?"

Emma and Louis' pale faces flushed in embarrassment. "Thirteen." They said in unison.

"And how old will you both be in two weeks?" He asked.

"Fourteen." They said in a monotone voice, turning away from each other.

"Fourteen. Not four. So act like it. Louis, stop messing up your sister's dress. She's right; I wouldn't hire someone incompetent. I designed this dress myself; it’s supposed to look like that." He straightened and walked over to Emma, adjusting the belt back to where it was before Louis started pulling at it.

"You always take her side," he breathed quietly.

Gabriel did not hear, or simply chose not to, and finished fixing the belt, keeping his back to Louis. "I would be very pleased if the two of you could get through this photo shoot without dismantling each other’s outfits. I will see you downstairs in ten minutes." He turned and left, leaving the two alone in his large office.

"I heard you," Emma said, keeping her eyes glued to her new shoes.

"That means he did," Louis stated, "I hope he did."

"He loves us both just the same. I don't know why you have to be so cold towards him."

"He may love us just the same," Louis started, rounding on his twin, "but it's clear he favors you more than me, and I'm sick of it! This is the last stupid photo shoot I'm ever doing for his stupid company. We don't have to be here; dad made that perfectly clear."

"It's mom's company too." She growled.

Louis glared down at her. He was four inches taller than her, despite being the younger twin, and he used it to his advantage whenever he could.

"Don't make this about mom." He stood for a minute after, looking down at her. Their emerald eyes were locked onto each other, silently daring the other to look away first.

Louis was the one to turn away first, wiping around so his bluish black hair fluffed out ever so slightly, and adjusted his dark purple tie with a silver M pinned to it. "Come on, we're going to be late."

Their mother was the first person they saw when they stepped out of the elevator.

"Oh, good, you're here. This is very important; the launch of your grandfather and mines company. The tabloids are going to explode- Gabriel Agreste partnering with another designer," Marinette's bluebell eyes twinkled in the lights hanging high on the ceiling, "I'm so thrilled you two agreed to model our first production line together!"

The twins begrudgingly smiled towards one another.

"Anything for you, Mom." They said together.

Their mother's smile faded and she looked her two children over. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Louis said simply, passing her and heading down towards the photo room.

Marinette frowned after him and turned towards Emma for clarification.

Emma tilted her head down so her mother was blocked out of view by a curtain of bluish black bangs. "Just be glad he agreed to do this, because it's probably the last time he'll ever do it." She mumbled, gliding past her mother, avoiding eye contact. She didn't know what to say other than that. She was usually an expert in making up stories to help smooth over a rough patch between her and her brother, but for some reason her heart wasn't in it today.

The photo shoot went along wonderfully. At least, that's what their mother and grandfather told them as the makeup artist worked on removing some foundation from Louis' face. They had done everything right- per usual. Twisting and turning, posing, and smiling. The outfits fit them perfectly and Emma could have sworn she saw her mother tearing up as Louis went on for his single shots. Gabriel, on the other hand, had seen his designs photographed countless times and seemed to draw minimal satisfaction as usual. Once it was all over and the four of them sat by the large tables cluttered with makeup and mirrors, the twins sat silently as they were told all of this.

"Oh and Emma, you did look fantastic in your grandfather's design. You always do."

Louis turned his head at this comment, eliciting a noise of disapproval from his makeup artist. "Maybe try on one of _mom's_ designs next time."

"Yeah I will," Emma said almost immediately, "one you wear one of _grandfather's._ "

Marinette and Gabriel glanced at each other before looking back at the twins. The makeup artist sighed in frustration, and if Mr. Agreste wasn't standing five feet away, they would have thrown down their wipes and sponges and stormed off. The twins kept moving, making it impossible to get the job done. They sat, eyes locked once again, making the girl and boy working on them step around and block their views of each other. When their freckles were visible Once again, there was a satisfied sigh about a minute after as the artists placed their containers on the tables. They had finished and the twins automatically shot up from their seats, thanked the artists, and then approached Gabriel and Marinette.

"I don't know what has gotten into you both, but I'm very surprised and very displeased." Their mother scolded, "Where have your manners gone?"

"It's nothing, Mom," Emma muttered, "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me too," Louis said, looking over at Gabriel. "I need to tell you something, Grandfather. Can we go to your office?"

Gabriel looked slightly taken aback but nodded, leading the way out of the photo room.

Marinette waited a moment before placing a finger under Emma's chin and gently lifting her head up. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

Emma sighed and closed her eyes. "It's just that Louis thinks Grandfather doesn't like him as much as he likes me. I don't know why, but in the past month he's grown resentment towards grandfather. It's like he did something to Louis, something that he can't forgive."

Marinette stood silently, gently rubbing her daughter’s cheek with her thumb. "I believe it will work itself out. They just need to talk about it."

"Talk about what? Why does he think Grandfather likes me more?"

"Well..." Marinette hesitated, carefully choosing her next few words. "You are ... A lot like your grandmother. Your father's mother. I think your grandfather sees that, and admires that about you. I think he feels he can understand you better than he can Louis. I'm not saying that makes it right. I'm saying that he's not doing it intentionally."

"Maybe you should tell Louis that," Emma sighed, opening her eyes and looking at her mother.

"I don't think it matters to him. He doesn't want reasoning for it; he just doesn't want it to happen."

Marinette took Emma's hand and led her out of the room and towards the elevator. "I have more work to do. Your grandfather and I have to decide what photos made the cut for the magazine next week. Can I trust you two to not kill each other on the way home?"

The elevator doors closed and Emma watched the light on the numbers above them climb to the highest number.

"Yes." She said quietly as the door opened.

They stepped out into the sixth floor of the agency where Marinette and Gabriel's offices were. They overlooked a small cluster of cubicles where the interns worked. As they made their way towards the small set of steps that would bring them up to their offices, they could hear Louis' muffled voice rising in volume. Marinette looked towards the thick oak doors of Gabriel's office just as they flew open and Louis stomped out, leaving the doors wide open.

"I'll be home," he growled as he passed, avoiding both of their gazes.

Marinette sighed, clearly embarrassed, and pulled out her cell phone. "I'm calling Adrien..." She half said to Emma, but mostly to herself, as she opened her own office doors and disappeared behind them.

Emma stood by herself, her gaze landing on Gabriel's doorway. He stood there, hands on either door, preparing to shut them.

"Go home Emma. Talk to your brother." He muttered something else that sounded like 'unprofessional' and 'embarrassment', and with that, she was shut out from both her mother and grandfather. She looked down at the clusters of cubicles, catching a few curious heads poking up, hoping to catch a glimpse of the family feud. When they saw Emma looking down at them they instantly looked away, turning back to their computers.

\---

Emma knocked on the door next to hers and stood patiently, waiting for her brother to answer. She had taken her time walking home, not wanting to catch her brother on the way. She had even showered and changed before swallowing her discomfort and knocking on his bedroom door. It felt like an eternity before the door opened, revealing her brother in his pajamas.

"Can we talk?" She asked after a moment.

Louis looked at her and then shrugged, stepping aside to allow her room to pass. Once inside, she took a seat in his desk chair, spinning around to face him as he perched himself on the corner of his bed.

"Look, I'm sorry about earlier," Emma said, and then stuck out her tongue as her brother made an exaggerated expression of shock, "just listen, ok? You were right. Grandfather does seem to 'like me more'," she used her fingers to put quotations around the words, "but it's not because he doesn't like you. He just understands me more. We both know how hard it is for him to open up in the first place. You can't take it personally. No, you really can't- cut it out." Louis had started rolling his eyes. "You can't take it personally because ... Because do you remember that time at the park?"

Louis raised his eyebrow. "What?"

"When we were six, do you remember when I pushed you off the swing and you hurt your knee?"

"Yes, I have the scar to prove it-"

"Do you remember who picked you up and scolded me? Do you remember who punished me for the rest of the day because I pushed you?"

Louis looked away, hoping she wouldn't make him answer.

"It wasn't mom or dad. It was Grandfather Gabriel. He was so mad that I had intentionally hurt you. He told me he was disappointed in me. I thought he would never love me again, and I was so jealous that he was giving you so much attention," she laughed and Louis gave a small smile, "that I pouted all day to the point where dad was convinced my face would stay that way forever. My point is that just because you don't have anything to relate to with him, it doesn't mean he doesn't love you. He truly does, Louis. He just can't express it as well as he could when we were little. I don't think he know how to communicate with older kids," she gave another small laugh, "he doesn't need to talk to little kids as much, and he's never around teenagers. He's just ..."

"Weird." Louis offered. "But you're right.

Emma smiled wide and her eyes twinkled in the light from the setting sun. "Are we ok?"

"We're ok. I decided to remove myself from that stress- I told him I won't model anymore. We won't fight over that again," he reassured, "we're Agreste siblings. From the womb to the tomb. We'll always be there for each other."

"Always," Emma agreed, a small smile warming her face, her emerald eyes softening. _Always_. She would stand by it. She knew they would always have each other’s backs, no matter what they were going through; no matter what they fought about. They could always come back from it. They would always be by each other’s side, no matter how distant their worlds seemed. She would always protect him.

She owed him her life, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I know this chapter wasn't anything much, but its a necessary evil. I need to build up some character relationships and I figured I'd start here! The next chapter will involve quite a few more characters so I hope you check back and give it a shot!  
> Comments and constructive criticism is always welcomed!


	3. A Bump In the Night

"You know what you could do for work?" Emma suggested, twirling around in Louis' desk chair to face him.

Louis had is faced buried in one of his school textbooks and was marking down a few things in a notebook as Emma talked. "Hmm?"

"You could work in the bakery with Pépé and Mémé. I'm sure they could use an extra hand."

"Dad works there when they need the extra help. I wouldn't be contributing much at all." He said lazily.

"Well you've gotta do something."

Louis closed his textbook and put his pencil in his notebook before sitting up and looking over at his sister. "It's only been a week and a half. Besides, there's nothing wrong with relaxing for a few days."

Emma gave him a look that said 'only a few weeks my butt' but decided she'd already put in more than enough effort. She had spent the last week not only convincing him to keep occupied but also job searching for him. He just wouldn't budge; nothing seemed to "fit him".

"Why do you want me to get back to work so badly anyway?" He asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Uh... You know, like grandfather always says, "idle hands are the devils play things"."

Louis scoffed and stood up from his bed, muttering, "He'd know all about that, wouldn't he."

Emma scrunched up her nose again, distorting some of the freckles, but decided not to say anything. She'd had enough fighting with him for the time being.

As her brother walked over to his closet, their father's voice rang up from downstairs telling them that their cousins had arrived. Emma stood and pushed the desk chair back in its place before heading towards his door. As she passed her brother, she gave him a push into his closet and snickered as he shot back out, chasing her down the hall. Emma laughed as she quickly avoided his outstretched hand, jumped the few steps leading to the first platform, and jumped up onto the banister, sliding down to the main entrance. She landed on her feet with a thud and turned to meet the slightly disapproving gaze of her father.

"Emma..." he sighed, "how many times have I asked you to not do that?"

"Uh... How many days has it been since I learned how to walk?" She smirked and lightly punched her dad on the shoulder.

"I'll be careful Papa, I always am." Adrien Agreste couldn't help but smile at his daughter. He was secretly proud that she did those small things, showing how much of a kid she was; something he could have never dared do at her age.

"Alright," he said, running a hand through his already swept back blonde hair. It shimmered in the sunlight through the windows, the few strands of grey he had blending in almost perfectly with the brightness. He had creases around his mouth and eyes, nothing too noticeable; more of laughter lines than stress. He had found himself in a state of constant pleasure ever since the day they were born. Sure, they stressed him out, Emma was most likely the cause of his graying, but he couldn't complain much. They kept him on his toes, always filled with surprises, always bringing a smile to his face.

"Emma I'm going to-" Louis' threat, whatever it was, was cut off by his father looking around Emma and giving him a questioning look. "Oh I'm going to get you later," he hissed under his breath, jabbing Emma in the side.

"Ah, yes. Threats have been made and now- now my day is complete." Adrien smiled and clapped his hands together, rubbing them in satisfaction.

"My two children, who love each other so dearly, your cousins are in the kitchen with Uncle Nino if you want to say hi."

"The kitchen, huh?" Emma grinned, swinging her arms dramatically as she walked into the other room, "wonder why...?"

"Share, Emma. Marin has been asking for those cookies all week!" Her father called after her, "And make sure you leave that box on the counter alone! It's for the party on Monday!"

"You can't trust Emma around a box of cookies to save your life," Louis snorted, "for how skinny she is, I'm surprised at how much she can pack away."

Adrien smiled slightly. "Don't pick on your sister."

"She shoved me in my closet like five minutes ago!" He protested, "I think I'm justified here."

Adrien laughed and put a strong arm around his son's shoulders. "She's just like your mother. Come on, Luca's in there and he's been dying to give you a present."

As the two Agreste men opened the kitchen door, they were set on high alert from a scream escaping Emma and they had to duck to avoid being assaulted by a handful sprinkles. They were crouched down and saw a young girl laughing uncontrollably as she crawled away from the door.

"Marin! I'm gonna get you, you little sneak!" Emma roared with laughter as she dove onto the floor, crawling army style under the table towards the other girl.

Marin was now making a dash for it from the far end of the table, snatching up a stray cookie that looked as though it had been the first shot fired. She twisted around and threw the cookie, hitting Emma square in the chest as she emerged from the table.

"Ha! I win!" Marin declared, jumping up and down with her fists in the air.

"You think so? You think-" Emma lunged forward with a smirk but found herself falling backwards instead. Louis had snatched her up by her pants belt and dragged her back.

"What have you done to the place in the three minutes it took dad and I to get in here?" He looked exasperated, gesturing towards the open cabinets and box of sprinkles knocked over on the table, along with a few smashed up cookies.

"We were just having some fun," Marin said, putting her hands on her hips.

Whenever she did that, Adrien could help but think of her mother. Hands on the hip, look of annoyance, and the cocked eyebrow? If her caramel colored skin, hazel eyes, and medium brown hair didn't give it away, that pose certainly did.

"Where are your father and brother?" Adrien asked, scanning the disaster stricken kitchen.

"I dunno. Maybe they ducked for cover over by the ovens." Marin shrugged. She was only twelve years old, but she spent so much time with Emma, it was assumed that she was rubbing off on her.

Emma threw an arm around Marin's shoulders and sighed. "You know you have to clean this up, right?"

"Oh please, you're cleaning too!" They both smiled at each other and then watched as Nino and Luca, Marin's older brother, emerged from their defenses.

"What, you can't handle a few sprinkles and crumbs?" Adrien laughed, helping his long time friend up.

"Dude, you remember how Marinette and Alya were when we were younger and got together at the bakery. Those two are them. But worse."

Nino pulled Adrien into a hug and slapped his back with his free hand. When they pulled apart Adrien was smiling. "They really are. We got lucky."

Nino nodded. "We really did."

Both fathers turned to see their daughters sweeping and wiping down the floor and table, laughing and joking with each other.

Nino had not changed much over the years; a result for his extremely laid back personality. He had very few grey hairs and his face was free of any lines. The only noticeable things that were now different were that his voice was deeper, his body was built up, and he sported a neatly trimmed goatee. One small detail that Adrien had made a habit of overlooking was a small silver scar on his neck below is jaw line.

"Nah, it's no big deal, bro. I know that you've been dying for a new one." Luca's voice floated from the back of the kitchen near the door leading outside.

Just as Marin was the spitting image of her mother, Luca was Nino's clone. He had the same dark brown hair, cut short and neat, that was covered by a backwards baseball cap. His skin was the same caramel tone as his sister and he had inherited their mother's freckle that sat above the corner of his right eyebrow.

"It's too much, Luca, really." Louis said with a tone of gratitude as he examined the sleek black microphone he was rolling on his fingers to view every inch of it.

"Would it make you feel better if I told you I snagged it from Dad's studio?"

Louis smirked. "Yeah, I'm sure you did."

"I did," Luca said, laughter lacing his words, "No but for real, do you like it?"

"I love it." He gave Luca a quick hug and then placed the microphone back in its box.

"You should have waited until the party Monday."

"Well, I couldn't ask you to come back to the studio tonight if I didn't give it to you now."

"Yes you could have," Louis laughed.

Luca shrugged and nodded, tapping the box. "Nothing like recording on your own mic, though."

"Are you stealing one of my children?" Adrien asked, looking over to Nino.

"Yeah, figured I'd snatch him up and let him and Luca play around in the studio as a little birthday present." Nino smiled. "I was actually thinking, now that he's not part time modeling for your old man, that he could work with Luca in the studio after school. If he wanted, that is."

"I'm perfectly fine with that, and I'm sure Mari won't mind in the slightest."

Emma came up from behind them and gaped at her Uncle Nino. "Oncle!" She let out a gasp, pretending to be hurt, "you offer Louis a job but not moi?"

Nino laughed and rustled his niece's hair. "You can come by and record with me any time, you know that."

"Yeah I know. Hey, if you're taking Louis for the night, can Marin stay over?"

"Of course," Nino and Adrien said together.

Emma blinked and looked at her Uncle and Father. "You two have your own twin telepathy thing going on I swear."

The both of them laughed and then each placed a hand on one of her shoulders, as if proving her point. "Yeah," her father said, "We're definitely bros."

"Don't say bros, dad, you're too old," Emma joked, placing a hand on his and feeling the cool of his wedding band.

 

As the sun set, and hues of deep orange and yellow filled the house, the business of the house settled down with it. Marinette had come back from the office late, her hair in a disheveled bun, her nose scrunched as if she had been smelling something sour the whole ride home. Emma and Marin hadn't caught much of their conversation, but Adrien had spend a good hour helping her relaxing, finally deciding a night out would suit them best. Marinette was in a pleasant mood when they left the house, however, but was excited for a night out none the less. After both the girls were done being peppered with kisses from both her parents, they waved goodbye and settled into the silence of the house.

"What do you want to watch?" Emma asked Marin as they sunk into the living room couch, popcorn and sodas in hand.

Marin looked up from her phone and shrugged. "I dunno."

"I'll put on Nosferatu if you don't decide," Emma sang the last word and eyed her cousin.

Marin was too engrossed in her phone to answer. Emma sighed and turned the TV on, searching through their movies. She couldn't be too upset; she had kept Marin off her phone all day. That was worth a gold medal if you asked her. She eventually found the movie and started munching on the popcorn.

At some point, Marin must have put her phone away because she sighed when her fingers scraped the bottom of the bowl. "Can you pause it? I want to get more popcorn and don't want to miss anything."

Emma nodded and picked up the remote, Nosferatu's face pausing on the TV screen. Marin picked up the bowl, licking the salt off her fingers as she walked out of the room and across the front hall towards the kitchen. Emma finished her soda and leaned forward to place the empty can on the living room table. As she bent forward, she caught something moving from the corner of her eye. She quickly turned her head to see a bush outside of the window trembling. She let out a sigh and started leaning back, brushing it off as the wind. But before her back touched the couch, she froze.

Out in the front hall she heard the clattering of a bowl and a strangled scream. Emma shot off the couch and ran into the front hall, sliding to a stop next to Marin who was standing in front of one of the windows overlooking the front steps.

"Marin?" Emma gasped, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Marin what's wrong?" Marin held up a shaking hand and pointed outside.

Emma turned her head to look and instinctively pulled Marin back, getting into a defensive position in front of her. Outside of her house, at the foot of her front steps, past her large rod Iron Gate was a figure. The figure was silently standing there. Emma felt herself shaking, but quickly realized it was Marin holding onto her as tight as humanly possible. Emma stood, firmly focused on the figure. It should have unnerved her just as it had Marin. But she was soaking up its details like it would be the last thing she ever saw.

She noticed it was a human shape. Except it was unnaturally large, like a body builder if they were eight feet tall with double the muscle. It was blacker than the night sky with two large blood red eyes, and tiny black pupils vibrating in their center. As it stood there it moved one long, knotted and gnarly finger, tapping it's shifting side with every second that passed. And then it did something. It smiled. It had long fangs that glistened in the moonlight and a tongue long enough to lick the wide grin from side to side, almost like a dog. 

Emma wasn't aware that she had been moving, or that a strange feeling came over her, but after a second her hands were pressed against the cool glass of the window and she was scowling. "Get away from here!" She heard her voice ring out as her hands punched against the glass. "Leave!" The figure continued smiling but before Emma could scream at it again, it vanished. Only after it had gone did she turn to face Marin.

She was sitting, hands clenched on her knees, her head hanging. "What was that?" She breathed. Her voice sounded weak and fragile.

"I don't know. But ..." There was no way Emma could brush it off as it just being the wind, or a passing car, or anything. "But let's turn on the living room lights and watch something else, ok?"

She helped Marin to her feet and brought her back into the living room. She turned on the lights and closed the curtains on all the windows in the room and hallway. There wasn't a dark corner in the house by the time Emma sat back down on the couch. She took a blanket and wrapped it around Marin, pulling her into a hug.

"Don't let go," she whispered, gripping Emma tightly. Emma looked down at her and for once she realized how young Marin seemed. She seemed tinier and fragile.

"Never," She whispered, hugging her close. Marin hung onto her like a child to a mother after a bad dream.

Maybe that's what she would tell Marin when she woke up in the morning. It was all just a bad dream. Emma would say she saw nothing and that it was just her brain interpreting the movie they had watched. She'd make a joke about it and say they wouldn't watch any more movies with the lights off.

Luckily, the two girls were asleep on the couch by the time Marinette and Adrien came home, so Emma didn't have to explain why every light in the house was on. But when she woke up for the umpteenth time that night, the lights were off and she could see the red eyes in the darkness, staring down at her from the ceiling. She had gripped Marin tight, the instinct to protect creeping over her, even though she knew nothing was there.

When morning came, Emma had convinced Marin that it was just a bad dream, and thankfully Marin was convinced. Her eyes had been glued shut the moment Emma arrived in the hall, so the figure's image was only that of the red eyes. Emma was thankful that that was all Marin could remember. The topic remained in the shadows as the two of them ate breakfast with Emma's parents and as Marin packed her things and waved goodbye when her mother arrived to pick her up.

"So, I have to ask," Adrien said as he shut the front door once Marin had left, "why we're all the light on last night?"

"Every single one," Marinette emphasized, "what were you two even doing?"

Emma pulled at her fingers and instinctively glanced out the window at the front steps. "It was ..." She pursed her lips and took a sharp breath a moment later. Her parents glanced at each other and then back at their daughter. "Well... Do you... Do you guys believe in the supernatural?"

The question made Marinette's eyes widen and the hair on the back of Adrien's neck stand up.

Adrien was the first to reply. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you might not believe me, but I saw something last night. On our steps. It was big, and black, and- and it had fangs. It had a tongue so long and big that it could lick all its teeth at once," her parents looked concerned as she spoke, "and it had awful red eyes. They were like blood. I half expected them to start melting."

When her parents didn't speak, she was sure they thought she was mad. She looked up at them and was surprised to see their expressions were more of understanding than anything else.

"We're you afraid?" Adrien asked after what seemed like forever.

"No," Emma said truthfully, "I just felt like I needed to protect Marin. I felt like I was ready ..."

"Ready for what?" Marinette asked.

"Ready to fight to protect her. I don't know where the feeling came from, but I was ready to protect her or ... Or to die trying." She seemed just as shocked at her last few words as her parents were.

"Really?" Her father asked, a look that Emma couldn't quite place passing over his face as he spoke.

"Really."

Adrien looked at his wife and they shared a silent moment of understanding, as if they were just now receiving an answer to a question they had been asking themselves all night.

"Well, you've had a rough night and a big day ahead of you tomorrow. Why don't you leave the cleaning to us and go upstairs and relax." Her father placed a hand on her head and then dipped down to give her a quick kiss.

Marinette did the same and they watched as Emma climbed the stairs to her room.

She was confused as to what just took place. Did this mean her parents believed her?

She opened her bedroom door and closed it behind her. Did this mean her parents did believe in the supernatural?

She pulled back the heavy black comforter and crawled in underneath it. So she wasn't crazy? That thing was really there?

She pulled a pillow close under her head and let out a yawn. Would she figure out what is was?

Her eyelids became heavy and she suddenly became aware of how little sleep she had gotten the previous night. Whatever that thing was, it wasn't coming out during the day, that was for sure. So she was safe to sleep now. Before her eyes closed and she became enveloped in darkness, she made a silent note to mention it to Louis when she woke up. Maybe he would have some answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed! As usual, comments and constructive criticism are always welcomed and appreciated! 
> 
> ~I should have images of what the kids look like with my next upload, I apologize for not having them this time!~


	4. A New Chat in Town

A shrill ringing set Emma’s teeth on edge but the rest of the class to their feet. Had the day already passed? Emma looked at the clock above the door and let a sigh escape her lips. When she looked back down at the table her brother was waiting patiently for her to get a move on with it.

“Oh, sorry Louis,” She yawned. Unable to sleep through the past three nights, Emma found herself taking cat naps throughout her lessons. Her brother was more than over it.

“You know Em, maybe you wouldn’t be so tired in class if you considered cutting a few things from your schedule.”

“Mrs. B told you to tell me that, didn’t she?”

Louis scrunched his freckled nose and looked away. “I _am_ allowed to care about you myself, aren’t I?”

With a muffled laugh Emma shoved her tablet and notebook into her bag. “Yeah, I guess so. Just don’t pull a muscle trying too hard.” She poked his chest above his heart as she passed.

An agitated sigh followed her out of the classroom and down the steps to the basketball court below. They were about to step out of the large double doors when a familiar voice shot through the air.

“Hey Emmie! Louis! Wait up.” The twins turned to see their childhood friend, Claude Bourgeois, running to catch up with them.

“Hey.” They both said as he came to a halt in front of them.

“Mind if I joined you guys on the walk home?” He asked, brushing his light blonde hair from his ocean blue eyes. “I told your dad that I would help set up for the party. Fourteen. You guys must be excited.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty great but-”

“But I have to shoot over to Mom and Grandfather’s office to help model a new clothing line.” Emma finished.

“Oh, what is it going to be this time?” Claude asked, looking slightly displeased. He wasn’t a huge fan of Emma’s modeling. He passed it off as her not having enough time for fun, or that her schedule was always too busy to hang out anymore. However he always found his face burning when he saw a mass of people fawning at an image of her. He liked to brush that off as simply being protective; they had grown up together, being her friend since Ecole Maternelle it would have been impossible to not grow protective of her.

They had made their way out of the school and Emma knelt down by her bike and shrugged as she unchained it. “I don’t know. They wouldn’t tell me.”

“Just try not to be late to your own party, OK?” Claude waved as him and Louis started off in the opposite direction.

“And miss out on gram and gramp’s cake? In your dreams!” Emma waved back, throwing her leg over her seat and adjusting herself. “See you at home!”

 

“It cannot be _good_ , it needs to be _perfect_!” The sharp tone in Gabriel Agreste’s voice sent chills down his intern’s backs and forced them to shrink behind their clipboards. “Now you have five minutes to make it perfect. Go!”

The two interns bumped into each other as they scrambled out of his office and towards the elevator. They had only just been promoted to Mr. Agreste’s interns, something the seasoned fashion designer turned his nose up at. He had been running his own company for years and never once had to directly deal with the bumbling workers he had hired for it. He swore up and down that it was the reason why his hair was graying so fast. If he didn’t respect his daughter in law so much, he would have completely shot down the idea of interns, however she insisted it would only benefit his company. And he would never admit it, of course, but he could see the benefits it was bringing his name.

The two interns stood, shaking slightly, as the two metal doors slid open with a quaint chime. They let out what sounded like strangled squeaks as Emma stepped out and waved to them. They ran past her and into the elevator, the young girl frantically hitting the close button and the boy staring sheepishly at her over his clipboard.

“Hey … how’s it going?” Emma asked, raising an eyebrow as neither answered and the doors slid shut.  She sighed and turned her back to the elevator, shaking her head as she made her way up to her grandfather’s office. If he kept this up he wouldn’t have anyone wanting to intern for him. She smiled slightly as she approached his office door. That was probably his plan all along.

She knocked on his open door before taking a step in. “Hello, grandfather!” She smiled. Even though this was his office, she remained only inches past the threshold awaiting his invitation to enter.

Gabriel turned away from the large windows and examined his granddaughter with his wary grey eyes. She was wearing beat up combat boots from four birthdays ago, faded and ripped black jeans, and a black hoodie that had seen better days. He instantly recognized it as a hoodie his son had worn in a photo shoot years ago when he was fifteen. It was now so faded, but the Gabriel Agreste symbol was still noticeable on the chest.

“Hello, Emma,” he glanced down at the desk clock centered at the top of his desk, “right on time. As usual.”

“Of course!” She smiled.

Gabriel gestured for her to take a seat in front of his desk and watched as she threw herself into the comfortable leather chair. “How have you been? How was your day at school?”

He stood as stiff as a board with a seemingly emotionless demeanor. Emma clicked her tongue and examined her grandfather. He had clearly had a stressful day, and she knew just how to help him out. She leaned forward, hand on her knee, with her father’s childish grin plastered across her face.

“Well, since you asked …”

Gabriel allowed himself a small smile as he watched her elaborately re-tell her day. She waved her arms, stood on the chair, and finally pulled on her hoodie to emphasize the G logo. “- and everyone really likes this! I get compliments all the time.”

He looked down at her ratty hoodie and scrunched his nose as if he had just caught whiff of spoiled milk. “That? That was years ago. What appeal does it have now?”

“That’s just the thing. You can’t find this anywhere anymore. You are the expert of clearing out all your old fashions. If you didn’t buy it the season it came out- you’ll never have it. And this thing is so old, like over fifteen years,” she watched as his face scrunched in disapproval; he did not like to be reminded of how old he was, “You know, the whole ‘vintage’ thing is coming back.”

He raised an eyebrow as if entertaining the thought but just as soon shook his head. “I’ll never understand you.”

“Never say never, GP.” She gave him double finger guns and made a clicking noise with her tongue.

Gabriel opened his mouth to speak but sighed instead, allowing his lips to form a small smile. “Come now, we must go downstairs. Your mother is waiting.”

Emma followed her grandfather out of his office, shutting the door behind her. When they reached the elevator Emma rocked back on her heels, Gabriel standing as stiff as before, and jammed her finger against the down button.

“You know, you really should work on your posture.” He said as they both watched the numbers above the metal doors light up one by one.

Emma allowed her boots to slam against the marble floors as she stiffened, straight as a board with her hands clasped behind her back.

“Ah, yes. Now I feel like a million bucks.” She looked over to him and screwed up her face, her sprinkle of freckles distorting. “Wait … OK, now I feel like a million bucks.”

“And what does a million bucks feel…” he trailed off as he looked away from the numbers and towards his granddaughter, noticing how she was standing exactly like him down to his seemingly expressionless face. “Oh. Ha. Ha.”

The metal door slid open and with a shrug her demeanor melted back to its natural form. “I dunno, I thought it was pretty funny.”

Gabriel did not grace her comment with a reply and they spent the elevator ride down in silence. When the metal doors slid open to reveal a stretch of hallway, Emma smiled. Peeking out of a showroom halfway down the hall was her mother. Her bluish black hair mirrored Emma’s and when they hugged it was impossible to tell whose hair was whose.  Gabriel waited patiently beside them to enter.

“Maman!”

“Hello, sweetie. How was your day?”

“Oh, we certainly do not have time for that production,” Gabriel stated as he waved his hand in the air, as if making the question disappear, and walked into the room. “Let us get on with the test.”

Marinette put a hand to her daughter’s cheek and smiled warmly. She knew very well that Emma enjoyed elaborating for her grandfather in the hopes to get him to smile.

When they entered the show room Emma put her hand to her mouth to muffle a tiny gasp. In front of her was an obstacle course consisting of various beams, lifts, landing mats, pull-up bars, and two different climbing structures.

 “No. Way. Don’t tell me I get to…” she looked over at the clothing rack and grinned, “Try out a new tracksuit! I’m so pumped right now!”

“We need to make sure it is functional as well as fashionable. It was your mother’s idea to launch a workout line like this for the summer line.”

Emma had hardly stuck around for the end of the sentence and had dashed over to the clothing rack to snatch up the suit.

“This was an excellent idea,” Gabriel commended his daughter in law.

Marinette smiled and said a soft thank you. She was merely happy to see her daughter so excited.

They watched quietly as Emma blew through the obstacle course, making moves that Marinette could have only hoped to make as Ladybug. As Emma lifted herself up over a bar, she let out a satisfied sigh and allowed herself to fall onto her back with a thud. She stretched and put her arms behind her head.

Emma took in a breath before calling over to the two of them, “This one is great. It doesn’t rub up against my skin like the other suits I have. It’s soft and flexible and extremely breathable.” She rolled over onto her stomach after a moment of silence to see her grandfather whispering to her mother. Before she got the chance to call over to them, Gabriel silently waved her over.

"We have decided to let you keep this outfit. The line will not be out for another few weeks. So- _oof-"_

Emma had thrown her arms around Gabriel in such an abrupt manner, catching him by surprise and making him lose his sentence. Marinette was not the only person to look on with concern. The two interns from earlier ceased their chattering and looked on silently. People rarely interacted with Mr. Agreste in person, and he was known for his stiff personality and bland personal comments. To see someone interacting with him, even family, in a manner more intimate than a handshake was understandably surprising.

"Thank you so much, Grandfather! I love it!"

"Oh, well yes. Of course. It is your birthday after all." He put an arm around her and gave her a quick half hug.

Emma let go of him and rocked back on the heels of her new sneakers. "Oh no, I almost forgot about Dad needing help setting up the party." She looked over to her Mom with a look of hope but her mother simply shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Emma. You shouldn't make plans you can't keep."

"No, no. It's cool. I can definitely make it home in time, right? What time is it? Gram and Grandpy said they would bring the cake, so I don't have to go grab that. I can just bike straight home," Emma put her feet flat on the ground and nodded, determination glinting in her emerald eyes. She kissed her mother on the cheek before making a run for the door, sliding around the corner and dashing towards the elevator.

"She should have someone organize her schedule." Gabriel suggested, turning to leave.

"We both know Adrien's views on that. She's a big girl. She will figure it out." Marinette smiled as she followed behind Gabriel.

 

Emma took deep breaths, in through her nose and out through her mouth, and dismounted her bike as she turned the corner into the semi circle driveway of the Dupain Cheng Agreste house. She walked her bike up to the stone steps and then dropped it by the bushes beside the stairs. She was more exhausted now than she was in school. How could she have forgotten how long the distance between home and the office was? She had to book it almost halfway across town just to make it home on time.

"Look who finally decided to show up." Louis' voice drifted across the main entrance hall as Emma stepped inside the house, closing the door behind her.

"Yeah, but she looks pretty cute in her new outfit," Claude winked and his ocean blue eyes twinkled in the light from the chandelier.

"I wasn't even gone that long," Emma defended, "Besides, grandfather isn't coming tonight and I wanted to spend more time with him."

"Shocker," Louis breathed, tying a neon green balloon to the banister of the grand staircase.

Emma rolled her eyes. She had given up on arguing with him and just wished that he would give it up too. Seeing her roll her eyes, Louis got ready to defend himself but never got the chance because their father walked in.

Adrien whistled and stuck his hands in his jean pockets. "Looking good, kiddos." He said, admiring the decorations that Claude and Louis had done previously. "Emma! Nice outfit. Did your grandfather give it to you?"

"Yeah he did," Emma perked up almost immediately. Her father could always lighten up a situation, even if he didn't realize he was doing it. "The line doesn't come out for another week or something but he let me keep the first tester."

Adrien smiled warmly. "Well that was nice of him."

"Yeah," she nodded, stepping away from the door and heading towards the stairs. "Well, I'm going to go shower before guests arrive."

"Good idea, party starts in an hour."

Emma made her way up the steps. She could have sworn she heard her brother mutter something about how she always got out of doing all the hard work, but she was too tired to care. She closed her bedroom door behind her and sighed. The exhaustion from earlier was kicking in again and she cursed herself, questioning how long it would be until she could sleep through the night again. She was a stranger to the lack of sleep and even though it had only been three days since the nightmare started, it had felt like three weeks.

As she gathered her things for a shower, the nightmare started playing in her mind no matter how hard she fought to keep it out.

The room was large, empty, and cold. It was completely black. Emma stood in the center with her left arm outstretched and her right one clutching a cool, cylindrical object. She was frozen in that position for what seemed like hours until a warm sensation crossed over her eyes and her vision suddenly became green. It was as if she had just slid on a pair of night vision goggles. There was movement. It was as if the darkness had taken shape and had run across the room, but no matter which way she turned her head she could not see anything but eerie green. There was an ear splitting scream moments later. It was loud and anguished, the type of noise that was painful to hear. She turned frantically, unable to move forward or backwards, simply spinning in a circle until something heavy forced her back. A roar as loud as a jet engine filled the empty room, easily overtaking the sound of screams. Before she knew it, the same piercing red eyes from three nights ago appeared in front of her along with the wolfish grin dripping with blood.

Emma froze on the spot as she watched long talons rise into the air, dripping with blood. Her side suddenly became warm and wet and her knees began to shake. As she struggled to keep herself standing, her vision became blurred and she felt panic washing over her as the beast advanced. She could not move, she could not run away or scream. She could just stand and watch as it came closer, eyes shining with hunger. She had no say in what happened next, all she could do was watch. The thin cylinder in her hand extended rapidly, clanking against the floor, and her hand swung forward. The long, thin, cylinder collided with the beast's jaw and the sound of splintering bones, followed by a roar of pain, filled the air. She watched the beast faded away just as the green night vision crept away from her face and left her in complete darkness.

What brought Emma back to her bathroom was a loud knocking on the door. She jumped, looking down at the shampoo bottle she had just knocked out of her own hands.

Adrien's voice came from the other side of the door. "Emma, are you ok?"

"Y-yeah," she called back, bending over to pick up the bottle.

"Ok," He called back, not sounding convinced in the slightest.

"Have I been in here long?" She called back as she placed the bottle on the shelf and rinsed her hair. She turned off the water and listened for a reply that never came. She stepped from the shower and wrapped a soft grey towel around herself and called out to her father one more time. When no reply came, she dried and dressed herself.

When she stepped out of the bathroom, she could hear music and voices through her door. Had she been in there for a whole hour? It could have been longer, she supposed. She had no desire to make her way down to the main entrance and start greeting people, smiling nonstop and thanking them for joining her. But of course, that is what she did.

By the time she had made her way around to everyone and thanked them, her grandmother and grandfather were rolling the large cake out from the kitchen, beaming at their grandchildren.

"Joyeux anniversaire mes amours!" They sang, lifting the cake onto the table and both leaning in, Tom squeezing them both in one giant hug, and Sabine kissing them both on their cheeks. The rest of the crowd started singing as Emma and Louis marveled at the large cake. It was a miniature Eiffel Tower with the courtyard underneath filled with flowers and an image of the two twins, when they were toddlers standing side by side, on edible paper. The picture was made to look like a small plaque that rested at the bottom of the tower.

"Oh man," Emma said, leaning in close and examining the picture. "How old were we?"

"Four," they heard their parents say behind them. The twins turned around to see Adrien and Marinette smiling down at them. Marinette was beaming down at them, love oozing from every pore in her body as she leaned down and gave them both a hug and kiss, hanging onto them as Adrien kissed them both on the cheek.

"And now look at you both, so ... Big." Adrien sighed and looked like he was about to cry. Marinette let go of her children and put an arm around her husband, rubbing his arm. Louis was looking at his father with a slight look of disbelief and Emma nudged him, pointing his attention back to the cake that their grandmother was carefully cutting.

"Dad's always a wreck when we reach "milestones" and whenever it's our birthday," Emma reminded, "remember when we turned ten? The double digits? He lost it. Remember when I won my first fencing tournament? Lost it. Remember when you said 'daddy' for the first time? I don't, but mom said he lost it then too."

Louis nodded in agreement. "I guess he's just an emotional guy."

"There's nothing wrong with that," they heard Adrien say behind them. He stood next to Louis and put a hand on his shoulder. He no longer looked like he wanted to cry. "When you have kids, you'll understand."

"Not if they're anything like Emma," Louis sighed, looking over at his twin who was now stuffing her face with the top of the Eiffel Tower.

"Hey," she said, pointing her frosting covered fork in his direction, cheeks puffed out and filled with cake, small crumbs covering her lips, "I'm freaking _amazing_."

Louis rolled his eyes but smiled none the less and cut his piece to take bite sized portions.

 

It was close to midnight by the time the house had finally cleared out. Emma and Louis were sweeping the floors and Marinette was helping her parents package up the leftover sweets.

"Goodbye my loves," grandmother Sabine cooed as she gave each twin a peck on the top of their heads and their grandfather gave them each yet another bear hug.

"Bye," they said together, watching their grandparents leave through the front door.

Emma sniffed and nudged her brother, pointing over to Marinette who was quietly fixing the sofa cushions. "Where has dad gone off to? He doesn't usually leave mom to clean up by herself."

"I don't know," Louis shrugged, sweeping his pile of confetti into the dust bin.

Emma frowned and looked over to the grandfather clock tucked away in the corner. It was getting awfully late and she knew her mother had to go into work early the next day to help Gabriel with the new clothing line.

"Hey mom, we got this," Emma called over to the living room.

Louis looked exasperated. "We do?"

"Yeah. You go up to bed, mom. We got this."

Marinette smiled warmly at her children and went over to them, giving them each a tight hug. She lingered a few seconds longer on Emma, but Louis hadn't noticed; he was making his way into the kitchen to dispose of his sweepings.

Marinette held onto her daughter and sighed, letting go and pulling back, but keeping her hands on her shoulders. "I've always admired you, Emma."

"You have?" Emma asked, holding her broom loosely in her right hand. "Why?"

"You've always known who you were, even if you haven't realized it yet. You are your own person and I need you to remember that. Please." Marinette smiled and gave her daughter another kiss on the cheek before heading up the stairs and out of sight.

Emma furrowed her eyebrows and shrugged, passing it off as one of those weird emotional feel good things parents sometimes tried to do to make a special occasion even more special. She dragged her broom behind her as she made her way through the living room and into the kitchen.

"Hey, bro, did you finish dumping out your trash? I'm so tired I think we should just call it quits. It's not like we have to go to school or anything in the morning, but ..." Emma trailed off as she looked up from the closet she was stashing the broom away in. Her brother was nowhere to be seen. Did he not make his way in here only a minute ago? She looked around the entire kitchen before sliding open the back deck door and peering around in the darkness. She went back inside after a few minutes of looking around and made her way back upstairs. Maybe he had passed by when her mother was getting all sappy.

Emma knocked on her brother's door but heard no reply. She was about to go ask her parents if they had seen him, but she found herself heading back into her room instead. She sat on her bed, her eyes falling on her bedside table.

"What is this?" She asked herself, lifting up a small black box with a red symbol on the top. It certainly hadn't been there after her shower. There was no note or any indication of who had left it here. She pushed her eyebrows together in curiosity and slowly opened the lid. As soon as it was fully open, she let out a strangled yelp as a burst of green light filled the room. The box clattered to the floor and out of it rolled a silver ring.

"Oh boy," a strange voice yawned, "I'm starving."

Emma slowly lowered her arms that had been shielding her face and looked up at a small floating ... Cat? Panicking, she grabbed the thing tightly and ran over to her door, using her back to slam it shut.

"Oh hey, watch it will ya?" The thing croaked, "I still gotta breathe."

Emma opened her mouth for words that did not come. The small black thing slipped from her grip and stretched. It had bright green eyes and what looked like whiskers, but only one on each side of its face and one on the top. It had pointed ears and a tail ... and it floated.

"Wh-what?" She finally managed to use her voice, but it was quiet enough so that the thing could not even hear her.

"You got anything to eat? _Cheese_ perhaps?" The small cat zoomed up close to Emma's face with a wide grin. It floated there for a moment, examining her, and then it slowly floated backwards. "You look like ..." The thing used what Emma presumed to be a paw to scratch the top of its head.

"Like you could have some cheese," it finally finished, laying down on its stomach in mid air.

"I ... I don't. I mean, I guess I do. But ... What?" Emma's emerald eyes felt like they were going to pop out of her head. She could not take her eyes off of this thing.

"Oh, right. My name is Plagg and I'm a Kwami," the floating creature said as it twisted around in the air and floated closer to Emma, "I give you the power of destruction, all you gotta do is wear that ring in the box and say 'claws out' and-"

"Ring?" Emma asked, finally finding the ability to move her eyes, and looked down at the opened box on the floor. "There's no ring..."

"Of course there's a ring! It's in the box," Plagg zipped down to the floor and floated next to the box, "right here." He pointed to the box and looked up at Emma.

Emma stuck out her bottom lip and got down on her knees to pick up the box. "Empty."

"What?"

"Like nothing is in here. Empty." She shook the box for emphasis.

Plagg floated in silence for a few minutes before looking down at the floor. "It rolled away. You need to find it. Now."

"What?"

"Now!" The black cat zipped up to Emma's face, making her slide back on the floor. She  opened her eyes wide again and and slid her hands around on the hard wood floor until her fingers brushed something cool under her pile of dirty clothes. She wrapped her fingers around the object and pulled it out, holding it up to the light.

"Ok, so anyway, like I was saying," Plagg floated lazily around her head as he spoke, "put that ring on, say claws out, you transform. You get the power of destruction and you only use it once before turning back into your civilian form. Got it?"

"If I say claws out to transform, what do I say to use my power?" She asked as she slipped the ring onto her right hand ring finger.

"Cataclysm."

Emma found herself smiling, her freckled covered cheeks rising. Plagg stared at her.

"What?"

"Cataclysm. Ha, get it? CATaclysm? Cause you look like a cat-"

"Yeah I get it!" Plagg crossed his arms and squinted. "You're just like him," he said under his breath. Emma did not hear him and she stood, thrusting her right hand out.

"Plagg! Claws out!" Emma's voice rang around her room as the black Kwami spun into her ring. As soon as she said the words, her whole body started tingling. It was like a sharp foam spreading across her entire body, and when she opened her eyes again, she could see perfectly, although everything was tinted green. She scrunched her nose, wondering why this sight looked so familiar, but shrugged it off and looked at herself in her full body mirror.

She was clad entirely in black with a black mask and two pointy ears atop her head. She spread her legs ever so slightly and a tail was visibly hanging down. She felt the mask and smiled. There were two points coming off the bottom on either side, as if they were whiskers, and it felt like part of her skin. Her shoulders and arms had padding along with the front of her legs. Her shoes were black with a silver sole and toes. She tapped them on the floor and a metallic clink filled the air. She examined the cuffs on her wrists and noticed they matched the ones on her ankles. She stretched in every form she knew and her smile stayed plastered across her face. She turned and noticed a sleek silver rod above the belt tail. She slid it out of the belt loops and examined it under the light. It was extremely lightweight with a neon green paw at the top. She tossed it in the air and watched it twirl, catching it easily in one hand. She held onto both ends and pulled, not knowing what would happen, but not expecting what did.

"Oh my gosh. Ohh my gosh, I'm so done. I just broke it." She looked down at the rod, now split in two with a black string connecting the pieces like a pair of nun chucks. She shifted her weight to both feet repetitively as she pulled on both ends sharply and the rod zipped back together.

"Whoa." She smiled to herself as she held the rod out in front of her. She looked over to the rooftop in front of her and thought about how she could make it over. She opened her balcony doors and looked at the rod, but before she could snap it in half, it extended with such force that it flung her over to the neighbors’ roof. She landed with a thud on her chest and coughed.

"Ugh. Ok, making a note of that ..." She rubbed her chin as she sat up and looked around. Behind her was her opened door and ahead of her was all of Paris. The Eiffel tower shone brilliantly in the distance and Emma stood. It was twelve. The lights would remain on for five more minutes until they would turn off until one o'clock for another five minutes. She wondered if she could make it in time.

Bracing herself for the throw, Emma ran forward and allowed the rod to extent, shooting her across another two rooftops. She did it again, closing her eyes as she jumped, feeling the cool night air kiss every inch of her face and tangle itself in her hair. She ran even faster the next time and before she knew it, she was standing at the base of the tower, looking up into its warm glow. She smiled and split her staff in two, twirling it, and throwing it forward. The end of the staff wrapped around one of the braces and Emma tugged with all her might. The string connecting the piece in her hand and the one wrapped around the rod stiffened and pulled her up through the dark night air and into the glow of the tower. She landed on the brace with a thump and her staff reconnected itself. She slid her staff back into the loops above her belt and closed her eyes.

Even though she had only spent two minutes on the brace, Emma felt like she had spent a life time. Adrenaline was coursing through her veins, the feeling making her float inside. She allowed her arms to stretch and she lifted her head to the glow, feeling engulfed in the warmth. Her cheeks grew pink and only when the two minutes had passed, and the lights had turned off, did she open her eyes. She felt reborn. Every inch of her tingled and she felt invincible. She slowly turned to look behind her at the lights of the city. They looked like a million tiny flames from where she stood. She took in a deep breath and then let it out. This was the feeling. It was the same feeling she had when she was eight and stood up for her friends getting bullied in the park. It was the feeling of four years ago when she pushed the girl away from the speeding car. It was the feeling of three days ago when she stood in front of Marin, ready to give it her all. It was...

"Chat Noir," the name left her feeling warm. It left her mouth tingling, as if tasting a warm marshmallow. It left the scent of a campfire haunting her taste buds. She smiled to herself and split her staff in two, twirling one end by her side. She had made it to the tower in three minutes. She would make it home in two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so I tried using some French? I'm only just learning so I apologize for any mistakes. Also, this is where the title starts to make sense *throws confetti into the air* yaaaaay. I also couldn't think of a better title, unfortunately, but now I can start getting into all the horrible puns! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Comments and constructive criticism are always welcomed and deeply appreciated!


	5. The Butterfly Catchers

_Butterfly Catcher Wanted! Seek Details Within_

Of course it was just a joke title. Perhaps they felt they needed to be humorous. Either way, Emma was not amused.  When she opened up the newspaper, there was an AD containing less humorous material; the citizens of Paris pleading for the return of Ladybug and Chat Noir.There had been numerous sightings of black butterflies late into the night and tall tales of citizens who were claiming that the last thing they remember seeing was exactly that, before waking up in a random location somewhere in Paris. To make matters worse, the Dupain-Cheng Agreste household had tensions running high these past few weeks. Ever since the twins' birthday, Louis had made a habit of sneaking out after dinner, and Adrien and Marinette were none too pleased. Marinette would stay up as late as her body would allow before passing out on the living room couch from pure exhaustion. Adrien would then carry her up the two floors to their bedroom, where they would remain until it was time to get up in the morning and head to work. Emma was usually the only one in the house in the mornings or afternoons when Louis would slink out of his bedroom and make an attempt for the door. Pure chance would have it that she caught Louis one afternoon before he managed to escape.

"Where have you _been?_ " Emma nearly screeched, "It's practically been a month since you've been seen anywhere in this house besides the dinner table. Where have you been going? What have you been doing? Don't you know how worried sick our mother is? It's taking a huge toll on her health! Hey- _stop walking away,_ " Emma caught her brother by his wrist at the top of the steps and pulled him back with surprising strength, "why won't you talk to me?" her last sentence was much quieter and took on more of a sorrowful tone. Her brother stopped resisting and relaxed his arm, allowing it to go limp in her hand.

"I ... I can't tell you, Emma," Louis said quietly, keeping his head turned away from her. His face was pained and his voice wavered slightly.

"Yes ... you can," She sniffed, her eyes burning as she took a deep breath, "we've got each others backs ... remember?"

"I'm not having this conversation, Emma. You need to get to school," he took this opportunity to catch her off guard and pull his arm free.

"So do you," she said, "you haven't been in the last few weeks. It's almost been a month now. People are worried. _I'm_ worried."

"Don't be. I'll be fine, and ... so will you," Louis allowed himself a small smile without his sister seeing, and then jogged down the steps. He reached the front door and opened it, but before he could leave Emma called his name.

"Please ... apparently people are saying that Akumas are back. Apparently they can take control of your body and make you do awful things. Just ... be careful."

Louis looked to his side and adjusted his bag, speaking in a tone so soft that he wasn't sure if his sister could hear, "Don't worry ... They won't touch me."

Emma watched her brother leave and remained at the top of the steps long after the large door had shut. There was a light ruffling from inside her sweater and a quick blur of black twirled out from her collar and hovered in front of her.

"Hey, kid ... I'm sorry," Plagg said quietly.

Emma looked away, her fingers curling into a fist on the banister. "I'm going to find out where he's going. I'm going to make sure he's _safe_."

"Are you sure about that?" Plagg asked, yet instantly regretted it and had to dodge the glare Emma gave him. "Hey, kid, relax! I only ask because you haven't had much practice with the powers yet."

"And that's because you told me to keep a low profile; 'Paris cannot know Chat Noir is back. You must keep a low profile until we can figure out this whole Akuma thing'," Emma repeated Plagg's words with a flat tone and rolled her eyes. "How, exactly, are we suppose to figure out this whole Akuma thing if we don't go out and _figure out this Akuma thing?"_

Plagg opened his mouth to answer but Emma interrupted, "We're going out tonight. We're going to get a sense of what's going on. My family is in danger, Plagg, I can't just sit around and do nothing when I have the abilities to do something." Plagg floated quietly in front of Emma and said nothing.

"Come on, let's go to the kitchen and eat. We'll both need the energy for tonight." Emma started down the steps and Plagg flew behind her. Emma rounded the corner to the kitchen door and pushed it open, but jumped back in surprise, sending Plagg flying back a few feet. 

"Oh, hey dad," She said, loud enough for Plagg to hear behind her and for Adrien to raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"Hi, honey," he said in equal volume, tilting his head out of curiosity and sipping from his coffee cup.

"I, uh, thought you were at the bakery?" She asked. Plagg zipped up the back of her sweater and once he was snug at the center of her back, she entered the kitchen and smiled at her dad.

"Oh, yeah. Well, your mother has been so tired lately that I thought I'd pick up all the extra stuff she usually does when she gets home. I know she loves to cook dinner, but having her on her feet for that much longer," he sighed, rubbed his eyes, and shook his head, "I just can't keep watching her do this to herself."

"I know ..." Emma frowned and went to pull a plate out of one of the cabinets.

"Hey ... shouldn't you be at school? It's bad enough that Louis is skipping classes ..."

"Hey, dad, don't worry," Emma smiled reassuringly as she opened the fridge door and took out a pink pastry box with a cursive _'TS'_   on the lid, "I've gone every day. And besides, today we have the first period after lunch free. And, if I'm being honest," she sighed and took out two small croissants from the box and placed them on her plate, "It's really lonely without Louis. Claude is good company, don't get me wrong, but he's a class ahead and I only see him in passing." She put the plate in the microwave and set the timer for thirty seconds.

"I'm sorry, love," Adrien said, watching his daughter turn and give him a smile, "And I'm sure these ... Akumas aren't making you feel any better. They were very prominent when your mother and I were kids, and they didn't disappear until about a year before you were born. But back then ... we had Ladybug to protect us."

"And Chat Noir," Emma added, pulling the plate out of the microwave. She sat down across from her father and placed the plate between them, picking up one of the croissants and smiling.

Adrien allowed a small smile and picked up the other croissant. "You're right. Chat Noir helped a bit too."

The two of them chuckled and started to eat their lunch. Once they had finished, Adrien took the plate over to the sink and rinsed it. "So, you think Chat Noir and Ladybug might re-appear and help Paris once again?"

"I'm not sure," Emma shrugged, heading over to the fridge as her father rinsed the plate. She opened the door and saw Plagg sitting on a now empty plate where the cheese used to be. She picked up the plate and he zipped back up her sweater. As she brought the plate over to the sink, her dad raised an eyebrow and she shrugged, "Mom must have left an empty plate this morning without realizing it."

Adrien sighed, "Your poor mother; so tired she's starting to be as forgetful as she was when she was pregnant with the two of you."

Emma simply smiled and reached up on her toes to give her dad a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you at dinner." 

Adrien nodded as she made her way from the kitchen back out into the main hall. Once they were alone, Plagg zipped back out of her sweater.

"Come on Plagg, we have some preparing to do before we follow these Akumas tonight." Emma pulled out her phone and starting going through a bunch of apps as she headed up the steps to her room. Once They were back in Emma's room, she slid her phone back into her pocket and smiled at Plagg.

"Double good news. Good news; Aunt Alya is a pro at keeping Paris updated on the Akumas. More good news; Aunt Alya is planning on tailing the first one that appears tonight."

"And how is that last one good news?" Plagg asked, scratching the side of his head.

"Because that means Aunt Alya will be able to cover the return of Chat Noir, and what's more, we'll have an aid in keeping an eye on all of the attacks."

"Aren't you worried about your aunt getting hurt?"

"Aunt Alya has done this countless times before, and that was without the resources she has now. And besides," Emma smiled widely, her emerald eyes twinkling in the afternoon sun, and held up her fist in front of her chest, the silver ring glinting brilliantly, "Chat Noir will be there to protect her. Plagg. Claws out!"

\---

"Alya Césaire." Her name was pleasant yet surprising; as if biting into a warm chocolate cinnamon bun that was dripping with sweet orange frosting. "I have a proposition for you."

Chat Noir was now standing in the middle of one of Paris' most prominent reporters office, hands on her hips, and her goofy grin plastered on her face. She had come in through the open window only three hours after transforming back in her bedroom, and the look on Alya's face was priceless. The reporter had jumped, causing her chair to roll backwards into her bookcase and send a stack of papers flying to the floor. She was still catching her breath as the young hero spoke to her.

"A- a Chat Noir? But how is this possible? I thought ... I thought he gave it up? Clearly he did, you're not him ... you're _younger_. And a _girl_ \- and your _hair_ ..." Alya trailed off as she fixed her glasses and examined the girl standing so boldly in front of her. "You're so, so young ... just like them when they started." Chat did not realize that Alya's face was turning into a hard frown as she spoke next.

"Not _a_ Chat Noir. _The_ Chat Noir. Well, maybe _a new_ Chat Noir," she was waving her gloved hand as she spoke, her grin turning into a small smile, "But, anyway, I came to talk to you about the Akumas."

"The _what_?" Alya asked, seemingly taken off guard. She had bent down to pick up her papers, thinking about how this could have possibly happened, when Chat had said her last word.

"The Akumas," Chat repeated, "You know, the ones you've started to report about recently. I'm here to help, just like the previous Chat."

"And how do you expect to do that without Ladybug?" Alya asked, slamming the stack of papers onto her desk in a huff. "Only Ladybug can purify these Akumas."

"Oh, well ..." surprisingly, Chat hadn't thought about that.

"And even more pressing," Alya rounded the desk and advanced on Chat, "Do you even know what happened to the last Chat Noir?" Chat blinked, taking a step back so her and Alya weren't so close. It wasn't that she didn't want to be close to her aunt, it was just that she had never seen her acting this way before.

"Mrs. Césaire," she said, and then wished she hadn't. The name left Chat with an unpleasantly spicy tinge in her mouth; it was like eating a spoonful of cinnamon. Chat coughed and squinted her eyes for a brief moment before pressing her palm up to her nose in an attempt to dull the sensation. "Please. I only know what all of Paris knows; Chat Noir retired before Ladybug because there were no more Akumas. He told the public that he wanted to live a normal life like everyone else, but that he would be back should anything as major as Hawkmoth happen again. And, well, I'm here." Chat stood tall, taking in a deep breath and pulling back her shoulders, "I may not be the Chat Noir you knew as a kid, but _I am Chat Noir_. And now protecting Paris is _my responsibility_. So ... will you help?"

Alya stood and closely examined the girl clad in black for the first time since she entered her window. She radiated confidence and was extremely well built for her age. She didn't seem like she was going to waver and her determination was made clear by her posture. And those _eyes_. Alya had seen them once before on the skinny blonde boy that had once worn the suit.

"Alright," Alya nodded, pushing her glasses up with one finger and then raising her head with a determined smile. "You and me, Chat Noir, we're going to save Paris. We're going to catch these butterflies."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've dragged this story back from the grave with some encouragement from some really great friends I made recently. I hope I'm not too rusty...
> 
> Constructive Criticism and Comments are always appreciated!!


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